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Two seniors were recognized as Students of the Month for December by members of the Wilburton Kiwanis Club. The students were special guests during the club’s Wednesday, Dec. 11 meeting held in the Student Life Center on the campus of Eastern Oklahoma State College. Ashlynn Caughie is the daughter of Billy Caughie. She attends Wilburton High School where she is a member of the Digger band and color guard. She is in the bio-medical sciences III class at Kiamichi Technology Center in McAlester. She serves as color guard captain in band and is a member of the HOSA club at KTC. She represented KTC HOSA at the state competition. Caughie enjoys marching band, color guard, bio-medical III class, reading, and working. She currently works part-time at Subway. She plans to enroll in the respiratory therapy program at EOSC upon graduation. Kaedon Mathis is the son of Brandi and Kevin Mathis. He attends Wilburton High School where he is a member of the National Honor Society. He is listed on the superintendent’s honor roll and was awarded a membership certificate for NHS. Mathis attends SALT church in Wilburton. His hobbies include horseback riding and rodeo. He plans to attend college upon graduation to pursue a career either as a game warden or in HVAC.(Excerpted from Falling Leaves, an autobiographical anthology by LC Arulpragasam) I became aware of a Sri Lankan mannerism on a two-hour ferryboat to Ischia in 1967. My wife and I were on this ferry on our way from Naples to Ischia, an Italian island just off Capri. We were on one side of the large ferry, while the bar was at the other end, about 20 yards away. Since I was going to get myself a beer, I asked my wife whether she wanted a drink and she indicated ‘Yes’ with her head. So I crossed the ferry to the bar and ordered the two drinks. The barman, hardly looking up from washing the glasses, asked me briskly: ‘You are from Ceylon, Sir?’ I almost dropped with surprise. First, hardly any Italian knew at that time where Ceylon was, or even that it existed. But secondly, how could he have guessed my nationality just by looking at me? Surprised, I asked him how he could have guessed this so quickly. Smilingly he replied: ‘I saw you asking your wife if she would have a drink, and she shook her head from side to side, signifying ‘No’. But then you came across and ordered a drink for her – which means that she said ‘Yes’. The only place where shaking your head to indicate ‘No’ means ‘Yes’ is in Ceylon!’ I was surprised, first, because I myself had not noticed this seeming ‘contradiction’ before. But secondly, I could not resist asking him how he could possibly have known this. He replied smiling, that he had been a prisoner of war in Ceylon during World War II in the 1940s – and remembered this Ceylonese trait even 25 years later! So Sri Lanka remains the country, where we shake our heads, understood elsewhere to signify ‘No’, when we actually mean ‘Yes’! As a matter of interest, the barman also told me that the happiest years of his life were spent ‘in prison’ in Ceylon, roaming the hills of Diyatalawa where the Italian prisoners were supposed to be confined! The British must have been confident that their prisoners would not escape from their haven (heaven) to go back to war-torn Europe! ‘Sigñora, your Midriff is Showing’ In Italy today, women at the age of 50 are usually slim, elegant, well-groomed and sexy. This was not the case in Italy in the 1960’s when women over 50 (especially in the south) often had a ‘pasta roll’ around their waist, usually dressed in black dresses and black stockings, as a sign of mourning for some long-departed member of the family. My wife, on the other hand, usually dressed in her full sari with a choli blouse, which coyly showed a bit of midriff. When visiting a supermarket, this was the cause of some consternation among two elderly Italian ladies, modestly dressed in baggy black gowns. After talking agitatedly among themselves, one of the ladies, not being able to contain herself any longer, came across to my wife and said: ‘Pardon me, Sigñora, but your midriff is showing’ (in Italian: ‘ nuda’ , meaning ‘nude’). My wife taken aback and nonplussed, looked down at her midriff and asked in surprise: ‘What’s wrong with my midriff?’ The old lady, even more agitated, replied that it was ‘ nuda’ . At this point my wife looked at the old lady’s legs and said ‘Sigñora, but your legs are showing’. (In South Asia at that time, it was considered immodest for a woman, especially an older woman, to show her legs: but this was obviously not so in western society). The old lady, equally taken aback, looked down at her legs and said: ‘What’s wrong with my legs?’ And my wife replied: ‘They are nuda ’. The old lady was puzzled. Not knowing what to make of this weird exchange, she walked back to her companion for more animated discussion! We were amused at this cross-cultural exchange: of two cultures speaking across each other, but not to each other, in terms that neither could understand. It is equally interesting to note changes within the same culture over time. On a typical Italian or western street today, in the year 2014, girls walk around with whole midriffs exposed, showing also their belly buttons, suitably embellished with rings, while their ‘hipsters’ are worn so low that they are in danger of falling off altogether! I wonder what the Italian old ladies would say to this now! Along the same lines, the exposure of female legs is either a matter of good taste, sexiness or shame, depending on the culture or country concerned. In the Indian sub-continent (including Nepal, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka) it is not decent for women to expose their legs, least of all above the knee, although it is customary, fashionable and sexy in the western world to do so. Going farther afield, in China, one notes that legs were not considered sexy at all – nor a matter of pride, shame or sexiness. Traditionally in China (before Mao’s time) women wore the cheongsam, a long dress with a slit all the way up the thigh. On the other hand, these same Chinese women in those days were embarrassed to show their necks, favoring high collars so that their necks would not be exposed! This is in contrast to women in the Indian sub-continent, who have no problem in showing their necks but do have problems in showing their thighs! Sex in Samoa Growing up in colonial Ceylon, I was shocked to the depths of my prudish soul to read Margaret Mead’s ‘ Coming of Age in Samoa’ . (I know that her findings have subsequently been challenged by Dr. Derek Freeman; but since the final verdict is not in, I shall treat her observations as valid for purposes of this article). When I was personally able to visit the Pacific islands in the 1970s, instead of free sex, the girls after colonization and Christianization, now wear grass skirts over their jeans and only sing hymns to hula music! According to Margaret Mead, young boys and girls in Samoa in the 1920s, ranged around in groups, swimming together and having fun and sex together. Teenage girls slept with many boys and even had children by them. More interesting to me (later) was how the social, moral and family organization accepted these activities and absorbed their consequences. First, in the Samoan context at that time, it was not shameful or sinful for boys and girls to have sex before marriage – even at the age of fourteen or fifteen. Secondly, if a girl of that age were to give birth to a child, this was quite normal, and not a matter of shame. Hence, thirdly, this was not a bar to the future marriage of the girl, since a man would marry her especially because she had already proved that she could bear children, which was important for his future family. Fourthly, there was no question of the child being ostracized or abandoned, because it would be gladly taken into the extended family or kin group, since an extra pair of working hands was an asset rather than a liability. Fifthly, these arrangements allowed a woman to have sex throughout her entire child-bearing period, starting at puberty and lasting till she no longer wanted sex. When I read Margaret Mead in later years, what impressed me most was how these arrangements relating to sex and the family had been so rationally organized (internally consistent) within the Polynesian society from a biological, social and economic point of view. The same can be said of the Nayar community in Kerala, India, in the late 19 th and early 20 th centuries. The facts as I know them are recounted only to illustrate a different set of such arrangements. The Nayar community in Kerala was at that time a strongly matriarchal and matrilineal society. It was agrarian-based, with property passing from mother to daughter along the female line, such that a son did not inherit property. This brought about not only an interesting arrangement of sexual ethics but also concomitant arrangements regarding marriage, the family, and the distribution of labor, income and property. The main economic and social activity at that time centered round the cultivation of land. Since the woman in the family owned the land, she made all the decisions relating to its disposition and cultivation. She also made the family decisions in the household, including the choice of who would work for her and who would sleep with her. As for daily or nightly arrangements, the chosen ‘husband’ for the night would leave his garment and slippers outside her door, so that others could see that she was otherwise engaged for that night. Since the children from this arrangement were known as the mother’s children, the identity of the actual biological father ceased to be of importance. The fathers of the children were all ‘uncles’, who continued to live and work in the household and were supported by it in their old age. The resulting children were looked after by the family/household. Under this arrangement, the land (the economic base) was cultivated, while social and economic security was ensured for members of the extended household. Here again, sexual arrangements seem to be in harmony with biological, family, social and economic needs and organization. Needless to say, these arrangements are not more ‘moral’ or ‘immoral’ than those in western societies today – only different, and also more internally consistent. When Margaret Mead wrote of teenage sex in Samoa in the 1920s, the western world reacted with moral outrage at the immorality, licentiousness and sinfulness of it all. This was a time in the west when sex before marriage was a sin and when children born out of wedlock were ostracized by law and custom. However, today in the west, teenage sex seems to be more the norm than the exception, with surveys showing that over 40 per cent of teenagers have had sex before they leave high school. While this was still considered socially shameful and morally reprehensible in the year 2000, the social scene is moving so fast that already by 2013, unwed single women are planning to get pregnant outside wedlock. Today in the western world, there is sex among teens, sex before marriage, couples living together without marriage, sex outside marriage, and multiple divorces. Sounds familiar? Exactly! In less than 70 years, western society, the dominant culture today, has gone back (regressed?) or advanced (progressed?) to equate to the sexual practices of Samoa in the 1930s! Thereby hangs a cautionary tale!
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Former Temple basketball standout Hysier Miller sat for a long interview with the NCAA as it looked into concerns about unusual gambling activity, his lawyer said Friday amid reports a federal probe is now under way. “Hysier Miller fully cooperated with the NCAA’s investigation. He sat for a five-hour interview and answered every question the NCAA asked. He also produced every document the NCAA requested,” lawyer Jason Bologna said in a statement. “Hysier did these things because he wanted to play basketball this season, and he is devastated that he cannot.” Miller, a three-year starter from South Philadelphia, transferred to Virginia Tech this spring. However, the Hokies released him last month due to what the program called “circumstances prior to his enrollment at Virginia Tech.” Bologna declined to confirm that a federal investigation had been opened, as did spokespeople for both the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Philadelphia. ESPN, citing unnamed sources, reported Thursday that authorities were investigating whether Miller bet on games he played in at Temple, and whether he adjusted his performance accordingly. “Hysier Miller has overcome more adversity in his 22 years than most people face in their lifetime. He will meet and overcome whatever obstacles lay ahead," Bologna said. Miller scored eight points — about half his season average of 15.9 — in a 100-72 loss to UAB on March 7 that was later flagged for unusual betting activity. Temple said it has been aware of those allegations since they became public in March, and has been cooperative. “We have been fully responsive and cooperative with the NCAA since the moment we learned of the investigation,” Temple President John Fry said in a letter Thursday to the school community. However, Fry said Temple had not received any requests for information from state or federal law enforcement agencies. He vowed to cooperate fully if they did. “Coaches, student-athletes and staff members receive mandatory training on NCAA rules and regulations, including prohibitions on involvement in sports wagering," Fry said in the letter. The same week the Temple-UAB game raised concerns, Loyola (Maryland) said it had removed a person from its basketball program after it became aware of a gambling violation. Temple played UAB again on March 17, losing 85-69 in the finals of the American Athletic Conference Tournament. League spokesman Tom Fenstermaker also declined comment on Friday. Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball
Georgia QB Carson Beck's status for Sugar Bowl uncertain as he considers treatment options on elbowMoreover, the former Foreign Minister emphasized the importance of transparency and reciprocity in the relationship between China and the EU. He argued that for the partnership to thrive, both sides need to be open and honest in their dealings with each other. This includes addressing concerns about market access, intellectual property rights, and fair competition practices.Percentages: FG .518, FT .909. 3-Point Goals: 6-19, .316 (Waddles 3-5, Sutton 2-6, Thomas 1-3, Glover 0-1, Osburn 0-1, White 0-3). Team Rebounds: 3. Team Turnovers: 1. Blocked Shots: None. Turnovers: 12 (Waddles 3, Glover 2, Sutton 2, White 2, Ondekane, Streit, Thomas). Steals: 3 (Glover, Sutton, White). Technical Fouls: None. Percentages: FG .530, FT .444. 3-Point Goals: 18-39, .462 (T.Johnson 4-7, Hardman 4-10, Lyles 3-6, Gray 2-3, N.Johnson 2-3, Harris 2-4, Young 1-1, Scott 0-2, S.Wilson 0-3). Team Rebounds: 4. Team Turnovers: None. Blocked Shots: 3 (Lyles 2, Okonkwo). Turnovers: 8 (T.Johnson 3, Scott 2, Gray, Lyles, Okonkwo). Steals: 7 (Lyles, N.Johnson, Okonkwo, S.Wilson, Scott, T.Johnson, Young). Technical Fouls: None. .
(This Dec. 13 story has been corrected to say that Tice was taken captive in Daraya, not Aleppo, in paragraph 17) By Erin Banco and Jonathan Landay WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In the early days of 2013, an American man, dressed in ragged clothing, dodged between houses in the streets of Damascus’ upscale Mazzeh neighborhood looking for a civilian to take him to safety after more than five months of captivity in the concrete cells of a local prison. The man, journalist Austin Tice, was taken captive during a reporting trip to Syria in August 2012. A former Marine, he had managed to slip out of his cell, one current and three former U.S. officials and a person with knowledge of the event told Reuters. All were granted anonymity to speak freely about sensitive U.S. intelligence. Tice’s 2013 escape, reported here for the first time, was the first public sighting of the American after he disappeared, the officials said. Tice is now the focus of a massive manhunt following the ouster of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad this week after 13 years of civil war. Rebels, led by the militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, have since released thousands of people from prisons in Damascus where Assad held political opponents, ordinary civilians and foreigners. The American has not yet been found. There are no credible hints of his whereabouts but also no clear evidence that he is dead, a U.S. official said. U.S. officials say that Tice's 2013 escape from prison, where he was believed to have been held by a pro-government militia, is the strongest evidence the U.S. government has to suggest that forces loyal to Assad held Tice. This has over the years allowed American officials to pressure the Assad government directly about the matter. The White House declined to comment for this story. The CIA, Office of the Director for National Intelligence and the FBI did not immediately respond to requests for comment. When Tice escaped, he was spotted by people living in the Mazzeh neighborhood, wandering the street. He entered the house of a well-known Syrian family, the name of which is being withheld for security reasons, a person familiar with the escape said. Tice was recaptured soon after his escape, one current and one former U.S. official said. U.S. officials believe it is likely that Tice was taken after his escape by forces who answered directly to Assad. One person with knowledge of the escape said Tice was potentially passed back and forth between several different government intelligence agencies in the following years. The administration of former President Barack Obama received another tip in 2016 that Tice had been taken to a hospital in Damascus to receive care for an unknown illness, in what would be his second known sighting, a U.S. official and a person familiar with the tip said. But current U.S. officials are not as confident in that report as they are in his 2013 escape. Over the years, Tice's family - which has led the charge in trying to find him - has spoken publicly of their frustration with the U.S. government, saying it has not prioritized Tice's release. They are now gathered in Washington in the hope they can soon celebrate his freedom. The family declined a request for comment. “We believe he’s alive. We think we can get him back, but we have no direct evidence of that yet,” U.S. president Joe Biden said last Sunday, fueling optimism about Tice’s fate. Over the last 12 years, U.S. agencies, including the FBI, the State Department and the CIA, have gathered thousands of tips about Tice. Most are nearly impossible to verify. HARROWING VIDEO Tice, who worked as a freelance reporter for the Washington Post and McClatchy, was one of the first U.S. journalists to make it into Syria after the outbreak of the civil war. In August 2012, while traveling through the Damascus suburb of Daraya, he was taken captive. Weeks later, a YouTube video was published showing Tice blindfolded, hands tied behind his back. He was led up a hill by armed men in what appeared to be Afghan garb and shouting "God is great" in an apparent bid to blame Islamist rebels for his capture although the video only gained attention when it was posted on a Facebook page associated with Assad supporters. Tice can be heard reciting a prayer, in Arabic, before saying in English: "Oh Jesus, oh Jesus." There are varying accounts of what happened to Tice in 2012, including who initially took him and where he was moved. Other journalists were taken captive around the same time. But as time passed and other reporters were freed, details about Tice remained scarce. The Obama administration had obtained intelligence that he was either in the hands of an extremist rebel faction or the Syrian government, two of the former officials said. But it had no way of verifying the information. Over the past decade, some U.S. officials and press advocates have lost faith in the assessment that Tice is alive in part because there has been no new, credible evidence to confirm his status. Others have maintained a sense of optimism, including some in the incoming Trump administration. In 2019, Trump administration officials, including Kash Patel, then a U.S. presidential aide and counterterrorism adviser, and Roger Carstens, special envoy for hostage affairs, traveled to Damascus to meet with Syrian officials about Tice. Current and former U.S. officials said the Syrian government refused to offer proof of life and demanded the U.S. reverse its Syria policy and withdraw U.S. troops from the country in return for opening negotiations about Tice. The Biden administration has maintained contact with the Syrian government since then, but Assad's officials were unwilling to negotiate until the U.S. agreed to their demands. On Dec. 6, Austin Tice's mother Deborah and her family told a press conference that a U.S. government-vetted source had recently confirmed that Tice was alive and was being treated well. "He is being cared for, and he is well," Deborah Tice said. But in the hours after the conference, U.S. officials working on Tice's case said they did not have any new information and that they were caught off guard by his mother's statements. This week, Carstens traveled to Beirut to coordinate the search for Tice. Other officials are also in the region, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Barbara Leaf, the head of the State Department’s Near East bureau. “We’re determined to find him and bring him home to his family and loved ones,” Blinken told reporters Thursday. Almost a week after Assad’s ouster, some U.S. officials fear that Tice could have been killed during a recent round of Israeli airstrikes. Officials are also concerned that if Tice was being held underground in a cell, he may have run out of breathable air as Assad's forces shut off the electricity in many of the prisons in Damascus before the president fled. This week, reports emerged that an American man had been seen in Damascus, raising hopes that Tice had been freed. But it wasn’t Tice. On Thursday, news broke that Missouri resident Travis Timmerman had been found after having been freed from prison by the rebels. Timmerman said he had traveled into Syria for a spiritual mission earlier this year and was arrested for entering the country illegally. (Reporting by Erin Banco in New York and Jonathan Landay in Washington; Editing by Don Durfee Heather Timmons and Alistair Bell)Title: Don't Be Fooled by These 6 "Health Tips" - They Might Actually Harm Your Body!